Thunder restricted free agent Dion Waiters has reportedly stirred some interest around the league from franchises in dire search for a shooting guard. The No. 4 overall pick from the 2012 draft came to Oklahoma City via the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2015, and during his tenure with the Thunder, Waiters played decently with a good fair number of minutes, averaging nearly 10 points on 27.6 minutes per game last season.
The 6-4 shooting guard entered into this offseason expecting to resign with the Thunder, but after a surprising trade last week, Oklahoma City now has shooting guard Victor Oladipo in addition to incumbent starter Andre Roberson. With the depth chart looking unfavorably toward Waiters, the Thunder are expected to allow Waiters to walk into free agency should he get a deal better than their $6 million qualifying offer.
That means that the shooting guard's talents are up for grabs for teams that want to fill out their roster. The Sacramento Kings are among a couple suitors that stand out as a frontronner to sign the Syracuse alumn. According to multiple sources, including ESPN's own Chris Broussard, Waiters will meet with the Kings' front office. The Kings seem to always be in a continual search for a decent shooting guard, and the 5-year veteran could be that very answer.
Another organization to reportedly reach out to Waiter's camp is the Chicago Bulls. After losing backup shooting guard E'Twaun Moore to the Pelicans in free agency, Chicago is in the market for a role player shooting guard. The Bulls already have committed to superstar shooting guard Jimmy Butler as their franchise player, trading away 2010-11 MVP Derrick Rose to the Knicks, but Waiters would provide an interesting backup that could fill into unique rotations with Butler.
Both the Kings and the Bulls have money to spend on free agents this year, yet both franchises find themselves caught in a rebuilding situation. For these currently mid-level teams, Waiters provides a key upgrade to their bench rotations. It's looking increasingly obvious that Waiters is going to have a new home come the end of the summer.
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